CAMPAIGNERS waved banners and chanted slogans as part of a sit-in protest to save a Southampton library.

Southampton City Council announced it will cease running five library buildings and mobile services next year, sparking anger and criticism from campaigners.

Members of the Southampton People’s Assembly Against Austerity held a sit-in demonstration at the Burgess Road library.

Along with Cobbett Road, Thornhill, Weston and Millbrook, the Burgess Road library faces closure unless voluntary services are willing to take over the everyday running of the building.

Chair of the Southampton Group, Glyn Oliver said they want to do everything in their power to keep the libraries a council run service.

He said: “Volunteer groups just do not have the same level of skills a trained professional would have to the running of the library.

“My wife is a librarian and it is a very difficult job, so to expect someone who does not have the same level of training to carry out the running of a library is just not fair.

“The five units which could face closure are in some of the most deprived areas of the city, who use these services as a central place for the community.”

Members of the group sat in the libraries' reception area reading their favourite books, getting visitors to sign their petition, whilst others stood outside chanting “save our library, getting beeps of support from passing traffic.

Sam Goold, who began the petition to save the Burgess Road library said: that any action which keeps the facilities being council run is a good thing.

He said: “I think if there were to be a transition between the council and the voluntary sector there needed to be a lot more planning put into it.

“It is not for volunteers to be expected to take over the running of these facilities at such short notice.”

Labour culture chief Salvir Kaur said that a review showed the city council could not justify keeping the libraries due to cost.

She said: “We can no longer afford to fund a lot of things.”